Our Little Book Worm

Hannah is almost finished with the fourth Harry Potter Book. It took her a while to get into this one. I was encouraging her to keep reading it, thinking it may have important clues for the next book or that it might get better. Apparently it got a lot more interesting. She can't put the book down! She is reading while brushing her teeth, eating, feeding the dog. It makes me giggle. It also is exasperating. If she would get her jobs done she would have much more time to read! I love my Hannah Grace.

John

This was a weekend of heavy hearts. My step Dad John died. We cried. Then we laughed. What wonderful memories. The one that stands out for me is at my old house on Clawson. I was standing on the stairs about to get ready for work (mcD's) when John asked me about marrying Mom. He was funny and I was embarrassed..but it is a great memory for me. Another wonderful memory was dancing with him to the song Unforgettable sung by Natalie and Nat King Cole at my wedding.

John is unforgettable.

Halloween Fun

Last night was Halloween and the 3rd time the kids were able to dress up this year. They had a blast. Thomas was so excited to go to all the houses for candy, once he figured it out there was no stopping him. We made our way over to the Community Center too. They had a magician, cider, donuts and the kids were all in the costume contest. This year Hannah took third place in her age group so she will receive a prize at the meeting on Tuesday. She was so excited. We told her it was her turn because last year Thomas and Allison placed and she didn't. Her grin was from ear to ear. She was pretty darn cute as Hermione from Harry Potter. I was surprised the other kids didn't place, in comparison to some store bought...and not very imaginative costumes. But, there is always next year! After the girls and Kevin had a bit of a fright in the haunted house we made our way to visit Uncle Ed's Mom and Dad. They spoil the kids every year with many treats and lots of love. We were a little late this year but they waited for us and they even made Kevin and I some yummy treats (egg rolls, mmmm). After that we made our way down the street to Grandma and Grandpa J's. We were pretty late and they were reading in bed, but the kids were so excited by the great treats from them. They were also glad to climb all over grandpa! I think Hannah needed to get some chocolate energy out! She makes me tired just watching her. Allie on the other hand had so much fun she almost fell asleep in Daddy's lap! What a fun family night. We sure are lucky.

God Moment

I had a God Moment today. I think I will start calling them that. I know that someone great must be looking out for me.

Last week after some discussion with Kevin we decided to pull up the boot straps and cut out the not needed spending. Things are tough. We are really trying to weed out the wants to afford the needs. One of the things I thought to cut was Thomas' parent-tot class. It made me sad, but we have been attending a free library thing at the Clawson library and I thought maybe I could find something similar in RO. I called the principal and left a msg. I told her I knew I was obligated through the rest of this semester but that money was really tight and I didn't think we could continue next semester. I also said I knew there was a waiting list for the class so I wanted to give her advance notice.

Today she called me into the office. I have never been called to the principals office. YIKES! hehe. I was a little nervous. It's one thing to tell her on a msg about my troubles it's another to discuss them in person. It could not have gone better. She said Thomas is such a role model that they want to keep him. She said pay what I can and if I can't, I can't. She also said I have been such a great parent helper over the years that she really was happy to help out. I could have cried right then. I in fact did once I got home. I thanked her tremendously and told her what a great relief it was.

My smart boy, and these great friends! I am so grateful and lucky.

Worry Wort

I have many worries that sometimes keep me awake at night. But I am trying to stay focused on the great, wonderful, cozy, happy things in my life. In the spirit of keeping up-beat here are a few more things to be grateful for:

1. Sunny warm days in October

2. Story Time at the library with T

3. Looking forward to Halloween with the kids (Hermione, A Good Witch, Spider)

4. Nap time ;)

5. A good book

6. T staying dry all night (when I forgot a diaper)!

Today

Today I am thankful for good friends and good times. I am grateful that I get to watch 2 wonderful ladies blossom into motherhood. I am also grateful that today is Friday and that means 2 Family days ahead. I love family days.

Summer's Over

Summer is over. I have lost my train of thought to talk about our wonderful trip. The weather has been so cold and gloomy. I feel like my mood is the same. We tell Hannah all the time that your attitude makes your day. I just can't seem to pick mine up. So I am starting a gratitude list to try and change... something.


I am grateful for:

1. my loving husband who makes my day full of laughter
2. my kids whose giggles sound like sunbeams (if they made a sound)
3. my home....when those around are loosing theirs I am grateful to have mine small and full of love.

Just the begining of my list.

Monday? What a wonderful Monday

After sleeping in on a Monday, what a treat, Kevin and I decided to try and walk the other way on the beach. This time I wore better shoes. The way was not as rocky but had more shale like flat rock. We met many people who wanted to show us their menus as this was in the village. We also met a local who had moved from Europe some years before. He talked our ears off. But he had some great information and some interesting pictures of the area before it was developed. As we kept walking down the beach we saw some really huge houses and many rocks with crabs on them. Afterward we hit the pool again. Later we took a nap. When we woke up Kevin made a great dinner and we watched a movie. This might sounds like a boring day but it was really nice and relaxing. Just what we needed.

Day 2 Punta Mita Heaven

On our first full day of vacation Kevin and I couldn't decide what to do first. Kevin suggested going for walk on the beach. So we put on our suits and headed down. Kevin thought it would be fun if we could walk to the point and see the open ocean. That sounded cool to me too. Turns out the way was not such an easy hike. Instead of sand it was very rocky. I wore flip flops which turned out to be a very bad choice. It was a beautiful view. We even saw the endangered blue Boobie bird. Apparently they are a very lazy bird and sit in their spot and wait for food to come to them. We walked right past it, and it didn't budge. That must be why they are endangered. We had some really awesome beach combing on our way. But when we were about an hour and a half in, Kevin took mercy on my feet. He was also worried about the tide shutting us off our path. So we made our way back to the condo. We were sweaty and tired but our pool seemed like the perfect oasis. Kevin made a pitcher of margaritas and we took it down to the pool. It was the perfect finish to the long hot walk. Later that night we went out to one of the restaurants in the village. We sat in the balcony right on the beach and had some seafood. The view could not be beat.

Parent Tot

Today was Thomas' first day at Parent Tot class. He was so excited to go to school like the girls. I did this same class with the Hannah and Allie but there is a new teacher now, so I wasn't sure what to expect. Mrs. Prost is great. We played, sang songs, went outside, did a project, puzzles, snacktime and read a story. Thomas was great. He loved being able to pick a song for the whole class to sing. He loved all the great new trucks he was able to play with. He seemed to love Mrs. Prost. It makes me so happy to see him excited with his first "school" experience.

Bienvenidos!!

Kevin and I flew out from Detroit really early. Thanks to Dad J for driving us to the airport. When we got to Mexico we walked off the plane and right outside. It was like walking into a wall of humid heat. After stripping off my sweatshirt (for the week) we went to find our luggage and talk to customs. Then we walked out of the airport,it was so fun to have a driver there with a sign saying KEVIN JABLONSKI. Pretty Cool. Rafeal our driver for most of the week is a super sweet man who does not speak much English but immediatly offers us water from his cooler and then he pulls out a bagged cool eucolyptus towel. It is heaven. After a but of a drive we arrive at a large wooden gate. A few security men come out and the first thing they do after asking Rafeal our name is wish us Bienvenidos (very welcome)! We are so excited. We wind through a green wonderland of plants and trees to the Hacienda de Mita. When entereing our condo there is a welcome sign on the floor made from vines and flowers and a bottle with tequila and 2 shot glasses. The view is amazing. The pool, mountains, ocean, and palm trees. Our condo has 4 bedrooms a large kitchen many bathrooms and an awsome deck. It's bigger than our house and just for us. We feel very spoiled. A few minutes after we explore a maid brings us fresh made tortilla chips, guacamole and salsa. It does start to rain. But instead of feeling bummed we take a nap. After a day of traveling, a siesta is a nice retreat. When we wake a few hours later the sun is shining and we decide to go down to the beach and just take a look around. We meet a nice lady from Switzerland who lives in Punta Mita and she shows us around a bit. Everyone is so friendly! I can't believe our luck.

School Days

School Time Again! The summer has really flown by and now the girls are off to school. I have so much to share about our super awesome vacation. But first here are a couple shots of the girls on their first day of school. Hannah Grace is now in 3rd grade with Mrs. Smith. Allison Faith is starting Kindergarten with Mrs. McDonald. Both teachers seem really nice and the girls are excited.

Mexico here we come!

<-----Pretend that is us until I can take one

This is the weekend that Kevin and I leave for our long awaited trip. I am so excited and nervous at the same time. It feels totally unreal and I think won't feel like it's happening until we are on the plane. The kids will be spending quality time with Loving Family. I am excited for them, they will have a super time. I hope they have fun and don't feel homesick. I know Kevin and I will miss them, but we are looking forward to being just a couple for a little while. I will post pictures from our trip when I can and I will see you all soon!

xoxoRach

The Haps

This week our Hannah turned 8. We also received her excellent report card in the mail. It's hard to believe we will soon have a 3rd grader. She went to a dance camp this month and really loved it. It was singing, dancing and they put on a play. Right up her alley. We have talked about her trying out for the next stagecrafters play. She seems interested. She is keeping up with her piano and I just love to hear her play. We went to Red Oaks water park for her birthday. All the kids had a blast. The favorite spot is the lazy river. Next time we all voted on taking more friends and family with us.

Thomas has recently started going to a playgroup at the preschool. He just loves it. He calls it school. He and I go together and they play and do a project. Then the teacher talks with the moms about whatever topic is on the plate for the day. They sing songs and play instruments and then as they say goodbye they get to choose a book to keep. He talks about school all week long and asks when it's school day. He is getting so big.

Allison fished up her summer school program. It was sad to say goodbye to Ms. Hodge who has been a great influence on Allie. She has really blossomed this year. She even was the star in the little play they put on. She played the peddler in "Caps For Sale". Super cute. I am attempting to upload that to the site so you all can see it. It's giving me trouble, so be patient with me.

Kevin is working hard as usual. He loves his work and the job is going well. We are thankful.

I am counting down the weeks, 4 more until Mexico. I am super excited! What a great month of July!

Hannah Grace is now 8!

My Glasses By: Hannah Grace Jablonski

Once there was a girl, her name was Hannah. Hannah was seven. As the summer ended she got ready for second grade. She had a great year. At almost the end of the year Hannah went to the eye doctor. He said Hannah needed glasses. "GLASSES!" thought Hannah. She could not believe it. "What if I look silly? What if I look stupid?" thought Hannah. "I don't think I will like glasses Daddy" Hannah said. "Sure you will, I wear glasses, so does grandpa, and grandma" said Daddy. "Everyone will need glasses sometime" Daddy said. "No they won't" mumbled Hannah. "Cheer Up" said Daddy. "Ummmm...." said Hannah. "Umm what?" said Daddy. "Do you think Mommy and the kids at school will think I look stupid?" "No way" said Daddy. Then Daddy said " Hannah you can go home or come to my work for a while". "Your work" sighed Hannah. "Ok, lets go" said Daddy. So Hannah stayed at her Dad's work and wrote her Mom a note. Then she went home. In 2 weeks she got her glasses. The kids in her class plus Mommy and Daddy really liked them. And Hannah lived happily ever after. The End

Zoo Concert

Last night we joined Aunt Jill, Taylor, and Mom J for a concert at the zoo. Our first of the season. The band playing was Gemini. When we first arrived it was damp outside but not raining. As I started to unload the kids and make our way into the zoo it started to sprinkle. We danced and sang along to the fun kid music. Kevin had great memories of the band playing at his elementary school 25 years ago or so. During the break we made our way to a musty tent to enjoy some sandwiches, grapes and chips. It started to rain pretty steadily. As the band started to play again the rain came down. We decided to see a couple of animals before the zoo closed. The tiger was looking at us from inside his cave, as if to say "silly people why are you standing in the rain?". On our way back to the front after being turned around (oh! the zoo is closing?) the rain really started to come down. All in all a fun and wet adventure. Next time I hope to see more animals.

-Rach

Movie Review By: Hannah

Movie Review: "UP"

In "UP" here are the characters: Kevin, Mr. Frederickson, Russell, and Doug. When Mr. and Mrs. Frederickson were little, Mrs. Frederickson had a book called Adventures. They never went on an adventure to the special waterfall in South America. Then Mrs. Frederickson died, so Mr. Frederickson had lots of balloons, and he flyed the house. Mr. Frederickson had an adventure. They found out that Kevin was a girl.

What I thought: It was a great and funny. I got to pick out my own candy at the candy shop before we went. The most funny part is when they found out Kevin is girl! HAHAHA

FROM: Hannah Grace Jablonski

Summer Project

I have been trying to think of fun things to do during the summer. Creative and free or cheap. One of the things I thought of was sharing our adventures with YOU. I want to even get the kids in on it. Hannah is so creative and loves to tell a story. Allison loves to use the computer. Thomas just loves fun! So here is my summer experiment. Blogging to you our family and friends. Telling you along the way about our adventures the good,bad,silly,sad, hopeful, crazy and full of us. I hope you enjoy reading about the JABLONSKI 5.

Love, Rachael